Carrie Ann Inaba is now single. The Dancing with the Stars judge broke up with her fiance, Jesse Sloan, over the summer. Her rep confirmed the split to the press late Monday evening in a statement. Inaba's engagement to Sloan made headlines in 2011, thanks in large part to a very public proposal — on the air — while Inaba was a guest host on Live! With Regis and Kelly. At the time, Sloan professed his love and commitment to Carrie Ann Inaba in a way that would make most romantics swoon.
"I've struggled to find the words to express what you mean to me," said Sloan to a smiling Inaba. "You're an inspiration, you're beautiful, you're wonderful, you're everything to me. Will you marry me?"
Regis Philbin interrupted the proposal to comment on the engagement ring before Inaba could respond.
"Whoa, look at that, Carrie Ann," said Philbin.
However, the love in the air remained palpable as Inaba joyously responded, "Yes," as she laughed. "I will marry you... You tricked me!"
Her comment referred to a joke that took place moments earlier when guest Jake Gyllenhaal brought out a fake engagement ring and said it was for her.
Carrie Ann Inaba's rep told the press that Sloan and Inaba remain friends. People magazine reports the statement reads: "They decided early in the summer to break off their engagement and have remained friends." No further details were offered, and there is little speculation so far on the cause of the relationship's demise.
In April 2011, Inaba told People magazine of the wedding she and Sloan envisioned — an intimate ceremony in a tropical location.
"We want to get married by the ocean because it has such spiritual meaning. It's so vast and yet it unites everyone," said Carrie Ann. "We want everybody to get their feet wet in the water after we say our vows."
Carrie Ann Inaba and Jesse Sloan met on the popular dating site eHarmony. Inaba said she kept her identity a secret for a few months but finally sent Sloan a makeup-free picture of her in her native Hawaii. Despite their engagement in 2011, Inaba told Access Hollywood in October 2011 that she and Sloan were trying to have a baby together and were in no rush to get married.
"Trying for a baby, absolutely," said Carrie Ann when asked about her family plans. "Whichever comes first is fine. We don't have to be married to have the baby. My age at 43, I have to get moving on the baby. The wedding can come later."